1 Kings 20
20
Ben Hadad Invades Israel
1 Now King Ben Hadad of Syria assembled all his army, along with thirty-two other kings with their horses and chariots. He marched against Samaria#map For location see Map2-B1; Map4-D3; Map5-E2; Map6-A4; Map7-C1. and besieged and attacked it.#tn Heb “and he went up and besieged Samaria and fought against it.” 2 He sent messengers to King Ahab of Israel, who was in the city.#tn Heb “to the city.” 3 He said to him, “This is what Ben Hadad says, ‘Your silver and your gold are mine, as well as the best of your wives and sons.’” 4 The king of Israel replied, “It is just as you say, my master, O king. I and all I own belong to you.”
5 The messengers came again and said, “This is what Ben Hadad says, ‘I sent this message to you, “You must give me your silver, gold, wives, and sons.” 6 But now at this time tomorrow I will send my servants to you and they will search through your palace and your servants’ houses. They will carry away all your valuables.”#tn Heb “all that is desirable to your eyes they will put in their hand and take.” 7 The king of Israel summoned all the leaders#tn Heb “elders.” of the land and said, “Notice how this man is looking for trouble.#tn Heb “Know and see that this [man] is seeking trouble.” Indeed, he demanded my wives, sons, silver, and gold, and I did not resist him.” 8 All the leaders and people said to him, “Do not give in or agree to his demands.”#tn Heb “Do not listen and do not be willing.” 9 So he said to the messengers of Ben Hadad, “Say this to my master, the king, ‘I will give you everything you demanded at first from your servant, but I am unable to agree to this latest demand.’”#tn Heb “all which you sent to your servant in the beginning I will do, but this thing I am unable to do.” So the messengers went back and gave their report.
10 Ben Hadad sent another message to him, “May the gods judge me severely#tn Heb “So may the gods do to me, and so may they add.” if there is enough dirt left in Samaria for my soldiers to scoop up in their hands.”#tn Heb “if the dirt of Samaria suffices for the handfuls of all the people who are at my feet.” 11 The king of Israel replied, “Tell him the one who puts on his battle gear should not boast like one who is taking it off.”#sn The point of the saying is that someone who is still preparing for a battle should not boast as if he has already won the battle. A modern parallel would be, “Don’t count your chickens before they’re hatched.” 12 When Ben Hadad received this reply,#tn Heb “When he heard this word.” he and the other kings were drinking in their quarters.#tn Heb “in the temporary shelters.” This is probably referring to tents. He ordered his servants, “Get ready to attack!” So they got ready to attack the city.
The Lord Delivers Israel
13 Now a prophet visited King Ahab of Israel and said, “This is what the Lord says, ‘Do you see this huge army?#tn Heb “this great horde.” Look, I am going to hand it over to you this very day. Then you will know that I am the Lord.’” 14 Ahab asked, “By whom will this be accomplished?”#tn The words “will this be accomplished” are supplied in the translation for clarification. He answered, “This is what the Lord says, ‘By the servants of the district governors.’” Ahab#tn Heb “he”; the referent (Ahab) has been specified in the translation for clarity. asked, “Who will launch the attack?” He answered, “You will.”
15 So Ahab#tn Heb “he”; the referent (Ahab) has been specified in the translation for clarity. assembled the 232 servants of the district governors. After that he assembled all the Israelite army, numbering 7,000.#tn Heb “after them he assembled all the people, all the sons of Israel, seven thousand.” 16 They marched out at noon, while Ben Hadad and the thirty-two kings allied with him were drinking heavily#tn Heb “drinking and drunken.” in their quarters.#tn Heb “in the temporary shelters.” This is probably referring to tents. 17 The servants of the district governors led the march. When Ben Hadad sent messengers, they reported back to him, “Men are marching out of Samaria.”#map For location see Map2-B1; Map4-D3; Map5-E2; Map6-A4; Map7-C1. 18 He ordered, “Whether they come in peace or to do battle, take them alive.”#tn Heb “if they come in peace, take them alive; if they come for battle, take them alive.” 19 They marched out of the city with the servants of the district governors in the lead and the army behind them. 20 Each one struck down an enemy soldier;#tn Heb “each struck down his man.” the Syrians fled and Israel chased them. King Ben Hadad of Syria escaped on horseback with some horsemen. 21 Then the king of Israel marched out and struck down the horses and chariots; he thoroughly defeated#tn Heb “struck down Aram with a great striking down.” Syria.
The Lord Gives Israel Another Victory
22 The prophet#tn The definite article indicates previous reference, that is, “the prophet mentioned earlier” (see v. 13). visited the king of Israel and instructed him, “Go, fortify your defenses.#tn Heb “strengthen yourself.” Determine#tn Heb “know and see.” what you must do, for in the spring#tn Heb “at the turning of the year.” the king of Syria will attack#tn Heb “go up against.” you.” 23 Now the advisers#tn Or “servants.” of the king of Syria said to him: “Their God is a god of the mountains. That’s why they overpowered us. But if we fight them in the plains, we will certainly overpower them. 24 So do this: Dismiss the kings from their command, and replace them with military commanders. 25 Muster an army like the one you lost, with the same number of horses and chariots.#tn Heb “And you, you muster an army like the one that fell from you, horse like horse and chariot like chariot.” Then we will fight them in the plains; we will certainly overpower them.” He approved their plan and did as they advised.#tn Heb “he listened to their voice and did so.”
26 In the spring#tn Heb “at the turning of the year.” Ben Hadad mustered the Syrian army#tn Heb “mustered Aram.” and marched to Aphek to fight Israel.#tn Heb “and went up to Aphek for battle with Israel.” 27 When the Israelites had mustered and had received their supplies, they marched out to face them in battle. When the Israelites deployed opposite them, they were like two small flocks#tn The noun translated “small flocks” occurs only here. The common interpretation derives the word from the verbal root חשׂף, “to strip off; to make bare.” In this case the noun refers to something “stripped off” or “made bare.” HALOT 359 s.v. II חשׂף derives the noun from a proposed homonymic verbal root (which occurs only in Ps 29:9) meaning “cause a premature birth.” In this case the derived noun could refer to goats that are undersized because they are born prematurely. of goats, but the Syrians filled the land. 28 The prophet#tn Heb “the man of God.” visited the king of Israel and said, “This is what the Lord says: ‘Because the Syrians said, “The Lord is a god of the mountains and not a god of the valleys,” I will hand over to you this entire huge army.#tn Heb “I will place all this great horde in your hand.” Then you will know that I am the Lord.’”
29 The armies were deployed opposite each other for seven days. On the seventh day the battle began, and the Israelites killed 100,000 Syrian foot soldiers in one day. 30 The remaining 27,000 ran to Aphek and went into the city, but the wall fell on them.#tn Heb “and the remaining ones fled to Aphek to the city and the wall fell on twenty-seven thousand men, the ones who remained.” Now Ben Hadad ran into the city and hid in an inner room.#tn Heb “and Ben Hadad fled and went into the city, [into] an inner room in an inner room.” 31 His advisers#tn Or “servants.” said to him, “Look, we have heard that the kings of the Israelite dynasty are kind.#tn Or “merciful.” The word used here often means “devoted” or “loyal.” Perhaps the idea is that the Israelite kings are willing to make treaties with other kings. Allow us to put sackcloth around our waists and ropes on our heads#sn Sackcloth was worn as a sign of sorrow and repentance. The precise significance of the ropes on the head is uncertain, but it probably was a sign of submission. These actions were comparable to raising a white flag on the battlefield or throwing in the towel in a boxing match. and surrender#tn Heb “go out.” to the king of Israel. Maybe he will spare our lives.” 32 So they put sackcloth around their waists and ropes on their heads and went to the king of Israel. They said, “Your servant#sn Your servant. By referring to Ben Hadad as Ahab’s servant, they are suggesting that Ahab make him a subject in a vassal treaty arrangement. Ben Hadad says, ‘Please let me live!’” Ahab#tn Heb “he”; the referent (Ahab) has been specified in the translation for clarity. replied, “Is he still alive? He is my brother.”#sn He is my brother. Ahab’s response indicates that he wants to make a parity treaty and treat Ben Hadad as an equal partner. 33 The men took this as a good omen and quickly accepted his offer, saying, “Ben Hadad is your brother.” Ahab#tn Heb “he”; the referent (Ahab) has been specified in the translation for clarity. then said, “Go, get him.” So Ben Hadad came out to him, and Ahab pulled him up into his chariot. 34 Ben Hadad#tn Heb “he”; the referent (Ben Hadad) has been specified in the translation for clarity. said, “I will return the cities my father took from your father. You may set up markets#tn Heb “streets,” but this must refer to streets set up with stalls for merchants to sell their goods. See HALOT 299 s.v. חוּץ. in Damascus, just as my father did in Samaria.”#map For location see Map2-B1; Map4-D3; Map5-E2; Map6-A4; Map7-C1. Ahab then said, “I want to make a treaty with you before I dismiss you.”#tn Heb “I will send you away with a treaty.” The words “Ahab then said” are supplied in the translation. There is nothing in the Hebrew text to indicate that the speaker has changed from Ben Hadad to Ahab. Some suggest adding “and he said” before “I will send you away.” Others prefer to maintain Ben Hadad as the speaker and change the statement to, “Please send me away with a treaty.” So he made a treaty with him and then dismissed him.
A Prophet Denounces Ahab’s Actions
35 One of the members of the prophetic guild, speaking with divine authority, ordered his companion, “Wound me!”#tn Heb “Now a man from the sons of the prophets said to his companion by the word of the Lord, ‘Wound me.’” But the man refused to wound him. 36 So the prophet#tn Heb “he”; the referent (the prophet) has been specified in the translation for clarity. said to him, “Because you have disobeyed the Lord, as soon as you leave me a lion will kill you.” When he left him, a lion attacked and killed him. 37 He found another man and said, “Wound me!” So the man wounded him severely.#tn Heb “and the man wounded him, wounding and bruising.” 38 The prophet then went and stood by the road, waiting for the king. He also disguised himself by putting a bandage down over his eyes. 39 When the king passed by, he called out to the king, “Your servant went out into the heat#tn Heb “middle.” of the battle, and then a man turned aside and brought me a prisoner.#tn Heb “man” (also a second time later in this verse). He told me, ‘Guard this prisoner. If he ends up missing for any reason,#tn Heb “if being missed, he is missed.” The emphatic infinitive absolute before the finite verbal form lends solemnity to the warning. you will pay with your life or with a talent#tn The Hebrew term כִּכָּר (kikkar, “circle”) refers generally to something that is round. When used of metals it can refer to a disk-shaped weight made of the metal or to a standard unit of weight, generally regarded as a talent. Since the accepted weight for a talent of metal is about 75 pounds, this would have amounted to about 75 pounds of silver. of silver.’#tn Heb “your life will be in place of his life, or a unit of silver you will pay.” 40 Well, it just so happened that while your servant was doing this and that, he disappeared.” The king of Israel said to him, “Your punishment is already determined by your own testimony.”#tn Heb “so [i.e., in accordance with his testimony] is your judgment, you have determined [it].” 41 The prophet#tn Heb “he”; the referent (the prophet) has been specified in the translation for clarity. quickly removed the bandage from his eyes and the king of Israel recognized he was one of the prophets. 42 The prophet#tn Heb “he”; the referent (the prophet) has been specified in the translation for clarity. then said to him, “This is what the Lord says, ‘Because you released a man I had determined should die, you will pay with your life and your people will suffer instead of his people.’”#tn Heb “Because you sent away the man of my destruction [i.e., that I determined should be destroyed] from [my/your?] hand, your life will be in place of his life, and your people in place of his people.” 43 The king of Israel went home to Samaria#map For location see Map2-B1; Map4-D3; Map5-E2; Map6-A4; Map7-C1. bitter and angry.
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1 Kings 20
20
Syria Attacks Israel
1King Benhadad of Syria#20.1 King Benhadad of Syria: This is probably not the same Benhadad mentioned in 15.18-21. called his army together. He was joined by 32 other kings with their horses and chariots, and together they marched to Samaria and attacked. 2Benhadad sent a messenger to tell King Ahab of Israel, 3“Ahab, give me your silver and gold, your wives,#20.3 wives: Having more than one wife was allowed in those times. and your strongest sons!”
4“Your Majesty,” Ahab replied, “everything I have is yours, including me.”
5Later, Benhadad sent another messenger to say to Ahab, “I already told you to give me your silver and gold, your wives, and your children. 6But tomorrow at this time, I will send my officials into your city to search your palace and the houses of your officials. They will take everything else that you#20.6 you: Hebrew; three ancient translations “they.” own.”
7Ahab called a meeting with the leaders of Israel and said, “Benhadad is causing real trouble. He told me to give him my wives and children, as well as my silver and gold. And I agreed.”
8“Don't listen to him!” they answered. “You don't have to do what he says.”
9So Ahab sent someone to tell Benhadad, “Your Majesty, I'll give you my silver and gold, and even my wives and children. But I won't let you have anything else.”
When Benhadad got his answer, 10he replied, “I'll completely destroy Samaria! There won't even be enough of it left for my soldiers to carry back in their hands. If I don't do it, I pray that the gods will punish me terribly.”
11Ahab then answered, “Benhadad, don't brag before the fighting even begins. Wait and see if you live through it.”
12Meanwhile, Benhadad and the other kings had been drinking in their tents. But when Ahab's reply came, he ordered his soldiers to prepare to attack Samaria, and they all got ready.
13At that very moment, a prophet ran up to Ahab and said, “You can see that Benhadad's army is very strong. But the Lord has promised to help you defeat them today. Then you will know that the Lord is in control.”
14“Who will fight the battle?” Ahab asked.
The prophet answered, “The young bodyguards who serve the district officials.”
“But who will lead them into battle?” Ahab asked.
“You will!” the prophet replied.
15So Ahab called together the 232 young soldiers and the 7,000 troops in Israel's army, and he got them ready to fight the Syrians.
Israel Defeats the Syrians
16-17At noon, King Ahab and his Israelite army marched out of Samaria, with the young soldiers in front.
King Benhadad of Syria and the 32 kings with him were drunk when the scouts he had sent out ran up to his tent, shouting, “We just now saw soldiers marching out of Samaria!”
18“Take them alive!” Benhadad ordered. “I don't care if they have come out to fight or to surrender.”
19The young soldiers led Israel's troops into battle, 20and each of them attacked and killed an enemy soldier. The rest of the Syrian army turned and ran, and the Israelites went after them. Benhadad and some others escaped on horses, 21but Ahab and his soldiers followed them and captured#20.21 captured: One ancient translation; Hebrew “attacked.” their horses and chariots.
Ahab and Israel's army crushed the Syrians.
22Later, the prophet#20.22 the prophet: See verse 13. went back and warned Ahab, “Benhadad will attack you again next spring. Build up your troops and make sure you have some good plans.”
Syria Attacks Israel Again
23Meanwhile, Benhadad's officials went to him and explained:
Israel's gods are mountain gods. We fought Israel's army in the hills, and that's why they defeated us. But if we fight them on flat land, there's no way we can lose.
24Here's what you should do. First, get rid of those 32 kings and put army commanders in their places. 25Then get more soldiers, horses, and chariots, so your army will be as strong as it was before. We'll fight Israel's army on flat land and wipe them out.
Benhadad agreed and did what they suggested.
26In the spring, Benhadad got his army together, and they marched to the town of Aphek to attack Israel. 27The Israelites also prepared to fight. They marched out to meet the Syrians, and the two armies camped across from each other. The Syrians covered the whole area, but the Israelites looked like two little flocks of goats.
28The prophet went to Ahab and said, “The Syrians think the Lord is a god of the hills and not of the valleys. So he has promised to help you defeat their powerful army. Then you will know that the Lord is in control.”
29For seven days the two armies stayed in their camps, facing each other. Then on the seventh day the fighting broke out, and before sunset the Israelites had killed 100,000 Syrian troops. 30The rest of the Syrian army ran back to Aphek, but the town wall fell and crushed 27,000 of them.
Benhadad also escaped to Aphek and hid in the back room of a house. 31His officials said, “Your Majesty, we've heard that Israel's kings keep their agreements. We will wrap sackcloth around our waists, put ropes around our heads, and ask Ahab to let you live.”
32They dressed in sackcloth and put ropes on their heads, then they went to Ahab and said, “Your servant Benhadad asks you to let him live.”
“Is he still alive?” Ahab asked. “Benhadad is like a brother to me.”
33Benhadad's officials were trying to figure out what Ahab was thinking, and when he said “brother,” they quickly replied, “You're right! You and Benhadad are like brothers.”
“Go get him,” Ahab said.
When Benhadad came out, Ahab had him climb up into his chariot.
34Benhadad said, “I'll give back the towns my father took from your father. And you can have shops in Damascus, just as my father had in Samaria.”
Ahab replied, “If you do these things, I'll let you go free.” Then they signed a peace treaty, and Ahab let Benhadad go.
A Prophet Condemns Ahab
35About this time the Lord commanded a prophet to say to a friend, “Hit me!” But the friend refused, 36#1 K 13.24. and the prophet told him, “You disobeyed the Lord, and as soon as you walk away, a lion will kill you.” The friend left, and suddenly a lion killed him.
37The prophet found someone else and said, “Hit me!” So this man beat him up.
38The prophet left and put a bandage over his face to disguise himself. Then he went and stood beside the road, waiting for Ahab to pass by.
39When Ahab went by, the prophet shouted, “Your Majesty, right in the heat of battle, someone brought a prisoner to me and told me to guard him. He said if the prisoner got away, I would either be killed or forced to pay 3,000 pieces of silver. 40But I got busy doing other things, and the prisoner escaped.”
Ahab answered, “You will be punished just as you have said.”
41The man quickly tore the bandage off his face, and Ahab saw that he was one of the prophets. 42The prophet said, “The Lord told you to kill Benhadad, but you let him go. Now you will die in his place, and your people will die in place of his people.”
43Ahab went back to Samaria, angry and depressed.
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